Censorship and repression of those who deviate from the “official line” are raging in Russia. All this reminds me of the situation in Armenia after March 1, 2008. By the way, those who now present Robert Kocharyan as a great democrat probably do not remember well that on March 2 and 3, 2008, people walking near the Opera House were taken to police stations. Such a situation can not be maintained permanently. Neither Armenia nor even Russia have the resources to keep society under pressure for a long time.
There aren’t many police officers, there aren’t many neighborhoods, and there isn’t any fear among the youth that forces the “Soviet-era” generation to refrain from “anti” talk. Social platforms, for all their shortcomings, to some extent protect us from falling into the abyss of rigid authoritarianism. Of course, people like Putin or Kocharyan can make such crazy attempts. But the probability of Kocharyan’s return to Armenia in particular, I think, is zero, and, by the way, the exploitation of “Kocharyan’s fear” by official propaganda can not continue indefinitely either.
Thus, the state does not have a serious opportunity to restrict the free circulation of ideas. The problem, in my opinion, is elsewhere. There are few ideas. Recently I came across a comparison: ideas are born in a network-like environment. If there is only one railway line – Moscow-Petersburg, then no idea will be born, the country should be covered by a railway network. What is the “network” in this case? It is the university and academic environment that can not be replaced by the verbal fights of swearing statisticians and hyperactive publicists.
Here, in the field of verbal warfare, everything is clear: whoever thinks that “Wilson Armenia” or “Kur-Araks Republic” are not feasible projects are “Turkish bastards” or, at best, “Levon’s soul child.” Or the opposite. In this case, it doesn’t matter who uses what label.
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Meanwhile, I want to hear from the academic and university circles about whether it is necessary to reach a settlement with Azerbaijan and Turkey with the terms offered by them or not. If not, what are the consequences? I know that this government is incompetent and that Pashinyan’s policy has brought us to disaster, even without academics. The disaster has already happened. What should be done now?
Of course, the answer must mature in the debate. Debate, not verbal war.
Aram Abrahamyan
